Top 10 Reasons why Susan is Awesome

10.  Because her house is happier than the happiest place on earth.  She has a veritable Chuck E Cheese's for the older kids in her basement, she has Apple TV and can download any movie or tv show you want,  she was an art student, so she has every crafty supply you'd ever need, and she has sprinkles and cake decorating gear for any holiday/event you can imagine.  (I borrow stuff from her a lot.  Usually I give it back.  Susan, I still have your cutter dealie that makes square corners into rounded corners)

9.  Because she has a fun little "I'm going to electrocute you" game that she plays with my 1 yr old at the dinner table that instantly makes her frown turn upside-down.  (don't worry, it's totally safe)

8.  Because she does all the graphics for our site, because she came up with the idea for the Crafterhours logo, and because she is the one that put all the effort into embroidering it for us.

7.  Because she's the idea person behind Crafterhours.  I like to make things that everyone has heard of before, like skirts and dresses.  I'm not very original, I just like to sew.  Susan comes up with stuff that you've never even heard of or knew that you needed.  But you do.  And on a related note, she's really good at sewing and non-sewing crafts, whereas it appears I cannot mod podge to save my life.  Susan has made her own screenprints with mod podge, I kid you not.

6. Because she's friendly and social.  She calls people.  She arranges events.  Whenever she hosts playgroup, she has a theme, like Indoor Picnic, Beach Day in February, and Pancakes and Pajamas.  (When I host, I say the theme is "playgroup")  She invites people over.  She always has something to feed them.  To me this is awesome because it is the exact opposite of me, and I want to be like that when I grow up.

5.  Because she has all the crafty items that I need right now and can't wait 10 days for the mail to deliver.  Fabric paint?  check.  Pipe cleaners?  check.  Clear vinyl? check.

4.  Because she makes lunch.  Not like how you and I make lunch (sandwich, apple, stick of cheese, now go take a nap).  She makes lunch.  I tell her she should save her cooking for dinner when she absolutely has to do it, but no.  Chicken tetrazini, Caprese pasta, and homemade soup are just a few of the things I've had recently at her house at the noon hour.

3.  Because she single-handedly maintained the Crafterhours empire while I was out of commission for a week and then out of town for another week, when I didn't have the foresight/energy to write some posts in advance for her to put up.

2.  Because she wrote a really sweet post about my crafty space, using skilled photography and macro-shots to make it look clean and orderly and like a space that I wish I actually had.

And the NUMBER ONE reason:

1.  Because when I was on my near-deathbed a week ago, she showed up at my house (because she knew that if she called first, I would forbid her from coming), she made me go back to bed, she took care of my kids, she made homemade chicken noodle soup, and above all, she cleaned my house.  My house that was messier than even I've ever seen it, because I was incapacitated and hubby was gone, and my 3 and 1 yr old had scavenged for their own food for 2 days and left trails of it across every floor and surface so they'd have plenty to snack on later (resourceful, I say), not to mention every toy and non-toy that they'd been playing with was on the floor, all the cushions were off the couch, all their shoes were out of their closets, etc.

Above and beyond, Susan.  You deserve a medal.  Or maybe some free Anna Maria Horner Little Folks Voile.

Patchwork Crib Bumper: A Tutorial

Having a baby? Or have a friend who is? Or maybe your sister? Your daughter? You know, one of those people you know who would be having a baby? Or... maybe you want to make one of these for someone you don't know at all. Heck, it could happen.

I looked and looked for a tutorial or a pattern for a crib bumper that inspired me. I did see a few finished ones I liked on Etsy, but I wanted to make it myself. I wanted to be intimately involved with the nursery preparations for M. (As if growing the kid was not intimate enough? Must've been the hormones.) And then I did this version for my friend Kyra's January baby, Aubrey.

Working with a layer cake and some yardage to make a crib bumper, you’ll need:

18 layer cake squares, which are 9” x 9” each. You don't have to buy a layer cake, you can cut your own from any fabrics if you like, I just liked the variety I got from a pre-made layer cake.

1 set of crib bumper batting, which consists of six panels that are 1” x 10” x 26” (I used Nufoam procured from the Joann empire) or you can cut your own batting pieces to 10 x 26. If you cut them yourself, you’ll need to consider your quilting approach—a low loft batting will need at least a little quilting to give it some body. 

Backing fabric: 1 yard. 9” wide x 156+” long (4 strips of 9” wide, 45” long fabric, joined)

Sashing: I used 2 strips that were 3" wide and 156+” long. One of the strips I embellished with stitching, which reduced the width to about 2 1/2” wide. I made this my top edge.

Ribbon or stitched bias trim for ties. 10 yards + 6" (Doesn't need to be bias cut. I guess this would be non-bias bias trim.)

Cut your layer cake squares in half, creating two rectangles from your original squares.

Take one of the rectangular stacks and measure it into thirds, or about a 6” and a 3” section, and cut.

Make a mess. Mix and match these sections to make mixed squares until you’re happy with a layout.

Stitch the two smallest rectangles together first with a 1/2” seam allowance that you’ll use throughout this project. Press.

Stitch a large rectangle to the two smaller ones. Press. Trim the uneven side.

Stitch three squares together.

Stitch another three squares together.

Then six.

And the last six.

Now we have the beginning of the two short sides (3 squares each) and two long sides (6 squares each) of your crib bumper. Now is a great time to lay them all out in order to make sure you know which end is the top side and which is the bottom, especially if your top and bottom trim are different.

Cut your ribbon or double-fold stitched bias tape into 24 15” lengths (12 pairs). With the remaining ribbon or tape, cut two 3" pieces that will become loops.

Pin four pairs of ties in place to the edge corners of the first short side. Baste these at the very edge (1/4”) and pin the tails somewhere onto the inside area so that as you stitch your sash you won’t accidentally stitch the ties in some odd place. You're just holding the ties in place so that you can...

Pin right sides together, stitch your sashing down the length of one side, and then do the same on the other side.

Pin and stitch your backing fabric, right sides together, to one piece of sashing and then to the other, so that you now have an inside-out tube. 

Using a rotary cutter and a straight edge, carefully trim a right edge on each end of the tube.

Follow these steps to create another piece just like this one that will be the other short end of the crib bumper.

To create the two long sides, you've already stitched six cake squares together. Pin and stitch two pairs of ties in the middle of each side before attaching the sashing, backing piece and squaring the ends like you did with the short sides.

Choose the short piece that will end your crib bumper.  Turn it inside out so that right sides are facing. Stitch the entire width of the tube with a 1/2” seam allowance. This closes one end of your bumper. Turn it right side out. This is the end that will have ties, but not loops.

Choose the long piece that will connect to this short end and turn it inside out. Slide the short end of the bumper into the tube and match the ends that and will make one of the corners. Stitch all the way around the tube, closing the circle and trying to keep things even-steven so that you don't have any weird bunchy spots. Turn right side out. Continue with the remaining short side and the remaining long side.

Stuff your very very very long beautiful crib bumper tube with batting. Now is the time to quilt the center section if you like. I can't give you much in the way of pointers in this area, since I chose not to do it. I felt like the Nufoam held it's shape well enough without it, but it looked like it could be machine stitched a bit if you'd like to. A lower loft quilt batting would probably need a good bit of pinning and then quilting in order to give it a bit of rigidity to stand up in the crib. Very sturdily stitched strategically placed buttons or small areas of decorative stitching could be a good alternative.

Back to it. We're almost done. Make 3” loops with your bias tape or ribbon and pin them in place 1” from each corner of the closing end. The loops are inside the tube and the ends stick out. Like we did the ties above. Stitch these in place 1/4” from the edge of your fabric, and then fold the ends of the tube in so that the loops stick out and the ends are tucked in. Stitch the entire width of the tube with a 1/2” seam allowance. This closes your bumper! Ta da! Whew! High five!

Please, oh, please, oh pleeeeeeeeease send me your feedback if you make one. I'd love to see your finished work or hear your complaints about my descriptions of the process and improve the tutorial. I might even make this into a pattern some day since I know that some folks would much prefer to see something like this laid out than try to follow the description. I'd loooove to hear what you think? Yes, I'm already just sitting in front of my computer, just watching the inbox, hoping hoping hoping for your message. You just go about your business. When you're ready to talk, I'll still be here. Waiting.


Yep, still here.


Yes, really.











P.S. I thought you might like to see another version of this. Happens to be the one I made first, for my own M. Here it is-- instead of layer caking it, I made a very long strip of what were essentially jelly roll pieces that I cut partly from upcycled materials and partly from new goodies.

Valentine's Day Dress and Mutual Admiration Society

Adrianna started a dress craze around here. We've only done 127 posts on it already. It started when she tried this tutorial. And then she came to my house and copied the pattern she had made for Z for me. We talked about fabric and picked two from my stash. And while I was distracted by something else, she decided that I needed to see how easy it was, so in less than an hour she had made the green version. And then I did this one. And then she did these. And then I was thinking about making a Valentine's Day dress for K. While simultaneously A was making a dress for Z with the same pattern. And amidst all of this we are in love with Indietutes for providing this simple magic of a pattern that's great for beginners and offers so many possibilities for those that want to spice it up. Thus the mutual admiration society, since she just thanked A for her input/appreciation. No, thank you. No really, thank yoooou.

This version is made with a wide-wale chocolate corduroy and a pale pink iridescent taffeta. The taffeta was a bit sheer and light, especially when paired with the medium-weight corduroy, so I made a double layered sleeve and hem and added pleating on each of the top layers. A reverse appliqued heart on each pocket. I wish I had seen this tutorial before I did that. But there's always another outfit on the to-do list.

Taffeta and corduroy? What do you think?

Guest Blogger: Julie of Strange Little Girl

Crafterhours Readers:

Susan here. Again. And I have a treat for you. A strange treat. Julie, of Strange Little Girl, is a good friend of mine. I featured her on black Friday. When I asked her whether I could now share the piece below on the blog, she said "uhm, that's kind of random, but sure."

I must admit, when the crafty process she's describing below began, I scratched my head. A lot. We were early in our friendship at that point. So I was wondering... is she all there?

She is. She isn't. She's more than that. Beyond that. She's her own person and owns that. And so I thought it appropriate to share one of her happiest crafty creations because it's inspiring and funny and so outside the box. We all have some crafterhours to work with, and I love to see what Julie does with hers I hope you enjoy it, too. Here's Julie:

I love my car. Love. LOVE. I know - I said I loved my last (should I say first?) car and I did. It was the best car $50 could buy and having to trade in the Star Car broke my heart. But I learned to love again.  

I will admit it was a rocky start. I learned to hate car salesmen who seem to live only to waste my time and wear down my spirit. Luckily my dad was excited to car shop and after a few days we came upon the Geo. Not what I was looking for. But the price was right and frankly, we were hungry and wanted lunch. Only later on did I notice the Geo had a newer tire on the front passenger side and although CARFAX showed nothing, it became clear the GM employee who owned it for the first 24,000 miles had some sort of accident. That made me a little jaded about he/she (I've never gotten a clear feel for if the Geo is male or female - it think it transcends gender and is inhabited by a higher level of spirit being) and I couldn't warm up to it right away. In fact, it scared me. It wasn't my incredibly loud Cavalier that felt far more solid (even though rust fell off it every time I shut my door). It was too quiet - it sounded like a Jetsons car - and seemed like it could just fall apart at any moment.

I don't know when I fell in love with it but eventually I saw that this thing was not going to die on me. I found that it was all Toyota parts under the hood which was kind funny since my friend just spent big bucks leasing a Corrolla. What bugged me most was the right front hubcap that I had to keep replacing but then my father-in-law suggested just painting all the rims silver. I loved it - but why go with silver when you can paint them purple? Not what he had in mind. Eventually they were repainted red because purple just clashed with the red of the taillights, which they remain to this day. 

The body couldn't be painted until I paid off the car. I had promised that to everyone who worried I would make another Star Car immediately. Once it was paid for I didn't know what to do to it - people strongly advised against painting it. They said it was too shiny. Paint would never stick. Whatever. I think it actually grieved people when I realized Rustoleum oil enamel was the way to go and covered the Geo with green vines and multicolored leaves. I think I was extremely patient though - it had 100,000 miles at that point. The inside had already been covered in Mardi Gras doubloons and glow in the dark stars. Everything on or in the car means something to me, is an extension of me, right down to the Buddha on the dashboard, old-school Cooties and a plastic rhino named Pete.

Today, the Mighty Geo makes everyone smile when they see it. People stare, which confuses the hell out of my passengers until they remember what they're driving in. People ask all the time why I did that but no one has ever had anything negative to say. It is a goodwill ambassador.

It's not perfect of course. The relentless South Carolina sunshine has not been kind to the paint or interior. There's no cruise control and the anti-lock brake system hasn't worked in years. It does 0 to 60 in...well, it does 0 to 60. The Geo can never be used as an inconspicuous getaway car in a robbery. It wouldn't pass a state inspection if my state had one. Mechanics make fun of my Yankee car everytime they lift it and see all the rust. I had a huge argument with an old man replacing my windshield who insisted someone had tried to repair a chip by drilling it. He insisted it could not be rock salt damage - even though I was driving the car behind the semi on the Thruway (too close of course because I was drafting) that tossed it back at me and remember exactly when and where it happened. 

But what it can do is get me from Point A to Point B, no matter how far away that is. I could never understand in college why friends with cars were not going places in them ALL THE TIME. I could never get my friends to take road trips because of excuses like gas money, leases, high mileage and just being an all around wussy (except Jen and that was a fun road trip to Pittsburgh). I figured I would understand that some day when I had my own car, but I still don't get it. My car is freedom. It's the absolute most important possession I have. It makes people happy. It allows me to feel like I could escape if I needed to. It gives me infinite possibilities. I love my car. I was thinking all this the other day as I was washing and detailing it, preparing for the latest road trip.

Long live the Mighty Geo.

More Fun Than I Can Handle

Here's an update, in three parts: (and of course the giveaway is last, just to encourage you to step inside my twisting, turning, idea-crazed head at this moment)

1) So as I previously mentioned, I am working on developing a product. It's keeping me awake at night. Well, that and a teething nine-month-old. I think I'd sleep pretty well if it weren't for the teething, but once she wakes me up and I try to go back to sleep again, I have to do this visualization thing of a clear desk. I picture this open desk space. First it's piled with stuff, and I push it all off until the surface is clear. Usually after I do this for a while I can fall asleep. Weird, eh? Anyway, there's this one part of the product that I haven't been able to figure out, and a few moments ago when I actually went to Random.org for the first time I saw that there's sooo much more to play with on the site than just a giveaway number picker. So now I know where I'll be wasting some time this weekend. And there's a tool that will totally help me do what I need to do for the product. So so so so exciting.

2) I miss Adrianna. You too? She was feeling better. She had started reading her Google reader again and checking her e-mail (I can tell when she's awake in the morning because our joint account messages will show up as "read" vs. "unread" and then I know it's safe to call her) which all make me very happy because for a while there I was pretty worried about how sick she was, and as soon as she was better she and the family up and ran away for a vacation. Now... I'm glad she's better. And... I'm glad she gets to go on a vacation.... but it feels like a mean trick. Because here I am (sort of) talking to myself again. And I couldn't get our crafty friend Stacey on the phone yesterday either. I'm totally addicted to craftiness and crafty discussion. Okay, I think you've heard enough of this rant. Sorry.

3) And while I was on Random.org getting distracted by fun-ness, I DID pull the Field Notes giveaway winner. Who's the lucky duck?

And number 53 is... Andrea! Who said:

It looks like Andrea just joined Blogger last month. And already winning the grand prize of the year? She IS a lucky duck. Andrea, e-mail me your mailing address in an e-mail, please? crafterhours@live.com

Aaaand I think you've heard enough from me for a while. Unfortunately, A is still vacationing for a while longer. Good for her. Bummer for me.

P.S. Ohhhh, no. I did not forget. Here's the inside of the back cover of a Field Notes journal. Eeeeeendless amusement!

Because I Needed a New Desktop...

...and because there are a few supplies that I'm so in love with that I just keep staring at them. I can't decide where to start. But at some point, it's just time to START SOMETHING with them.

Here it is, just in case you too need a reminder. Double click on images like this one to see/save them full-size.

Now, one of the delights of the Adrianna/Susan blogging juxtaposition is the artsy/practical yin and yang we bring. I make her laugh with some of my random thoughts, and she makes me laugh with hers:

* The Field Notes Giveaway closes tonight at Midnight EST!

Good Folks Having a Baby: Part 3

Aaaand now the third and final installment of "Good Folks Having a Baby"! But before we get into the last serving, we thought you might like to see the Good Folks for good folks... with new baby Aubrey checking it all out! (We think she looks a bit confused. Nice, warm, serene environment, and then THIS! Whoa! We don't blame you, Aubrey. It is a feast for the eyes, to be sure.)

Hi, there! I'm Stacey and I'm guest blogging today from Boy, Oh Boy, Oh Boy Crafts. I'm joining the Crafterhours club today in order to bring you the third installment of coordinating baby gifts for our friend Kyra. My contribution is a strip quilted pillow that was made using the paper piecing method. If you've never quilted before this is a great technique for beginners. For the pillow, I cut four 7 1/2 inch squares from cheap copy paper (freezer paper also works well) which I have lying around in endless supply-- since my 3 year old tends to draw very small pictures and then move on to another piece of paper. If you have a nice supply of scraps this is a great project for whiling them away. 

To make the strip quilted blocks, I used various widths of scraps that ranged between 1.5 and 3.5 inches but you can use any variation or all the same width would work just as well. I started with the same fabric for the middle of each block since I wanted a square accent of the same color and pattern. If you want your design to be totally random you can start with a different fabric each time. Were I to do this project again, I would also use the same fabric for one corner of each block so that the center of my pillow made a single colored square.

I glued the first strip to the middle of my block (diagonally on the square) using a glue stick, turned my next strip so the fabrics were right side together and stitched with a 1/4 inch seam allowance. I continued adding strips, alternating sides until the square was covered in fabric. Once all four blocks were complete, I turned each square fabric side down on my cutting mat and using the paper as a guide, cut off the excess fabric with my ruler and rotary cutter. After the cutting of the block, you can then tear away the paper backing. If you fold along the perforations that are made by the stitching each piece should tear away quite easily. After the block was sewn together a 1.5 inch border fabric was added to the large square. I backed the quilt top with batting and quilted the top using a meandering loop pattern.

An equal sized, coordinating square of fabric was used for the back. I sewed right sides together around three sides, turned the the cover right side out, slipped the pillow form inside and whip stitched the remaining side. Voila! Pillow was done!

I sewed a cute little baby doll blanket for a big sister present so she would have something in this great fabric and decoupaged a picture frame to add to the package. Overall, three quick handmade projects that I hope add to the excitement of the new baby's arrival.

I hope you'll stop by Boy, Oh Boy, Oh Boy Crafts sometime!


Stacey

Good Folks Having a Baby: Part 2

When Susan and I decided to make Kyra's baby's bedding, I immediately piped up with something along the lines of, "Hey, Susan, since I've done a quilt already and you've done a crib bumper already, why don't we just stick to what we know?"

Yeah, I totally duped her and got the easy job, but thankfully she fell for it :)

I used a similar technique to construct the quilt as I did on my Pop Garden Quilt, only smaller so it would be crib-sized.  I'm really loving this pattern because it leaves the fabric relatively un-cut and you can appreciate each of the prints.  As Susan said yesterday, it's really all about showcasing some really really Good Folks.

I backed the quilt in the same fabric, Small Gathering, that Susan used to back the bumper.  It changes every day, but I think I can say that this is my favorite print in the line.  Wait, no, Festival.  Ok, no, Small Gathering.

To quilt, I just stitched (mostly) in the ditch.  Can we agree that this is one of the harder quilting techniques?  Next time I'm literally stepping outside the box and going for random wavy lines.  That way you can't mess up.

This quilt is just a big pile of sunshine and happiness to me.  I had a really hard time parting with it, but I was so happy that it was going to such good folks and their precious little girl.

I also made them a simple bedskirt.  Just flat on all sides with pleats of more Small Gathering on the long edges.

You'll just have to use your imagination and pretend it was ironed.

Good Folks Having a Baby: Part 1

I just read Holly's post here, and was about to post the following aaaanyway and I think that the timing is crazy weird. And Adrianna and I agreed wholeheartedly about the amazing beauty of these fabrics and quilting them simply so that they're the star. 


Adrianna and I have friends, Kyra and Ken, who delivered their second baby girl on January 12th. I was able to visit with them over New Year's and deliver the goods that Adrianna and I coordinated on.  A whole lot of Anna Maria Horner's Good Folks for some really, really good folks.  I made them a bumper and crib sheet, Adrianna made them a quilt and dust ruffle, and our mutual friend Stacey made them a coordinating pillow and big sister gift.  We'll show you all of our efforts over a few posts.

Now, before you admire this next picture of pure joy and anticipation, I should clarify that it's Kyra that's pregnant, because you might see this and think that Ken is with child. And while this is 2010 and all, this traditional couple is going the mom-carrying baby route. No Junior action here.

To trim the bumper, I used stitching I wrote about here.

Rather than use four sets of ties at one corner, I made loops on one end so that the ties from the opposite end can connect them together before attaching to the crib.

And moooore photos so that you can see more of how this turned out. A picturepalooza.

I've started on a tutorial for the bumper, but it's gotten elaborate and I'm losing motivation. Is there even interest in a bumper tutorial?

We Have a Little Something for You: A GIVEAWAY!

Yes, for real. Our very first giveaway. We can hardly believe it ourselves.

I am working on developing a product. That in itself is exciting enough, but in the process of researching potential materials to include in the development of said product, I found Field Notes.

They're just so cool. Nerdy cool. Hip cool. Silly cool. Fun cool. And they might work for what I need... still studying. But in order to do the studying, I had contacted the marketing department and asked for samples. And they generously sent along enough not only for me to try them out, but for us to share with readers! (Readers? We're still shocked that we have any. Christy, we still remember that you were the first.)

So... if you're enthused about holding a set of these in your own clammy, trembling, excited little giveaway-winning hands, comment below. Tell us what you think you'd do with them. Comment soon, though, because the comments will be closed on Thursday, February 4th at midnight, EST at which point we'll do that Random.org thing that everybody does to choose a winner. Assuming the chosen winner followed the rules and told us what exciting idea they have for these. Maybe you'll use them to record your wedding vows?

Here's the loot:  a Field Notes Three-Pack, pencil, pen, a super smooooooth band and a button. Try to contain yourself. And this is a photo of the actual loot that you will receive. Unless my kids somehow get ahold of it first. I'm hiding these right now. In a very safe place. Which means I am bound to forget where I put it. So I'll tell you so you can tell me when I forget. It's on top of the upper left corner of my fabric shelves. (Shhh!)

P.S. After the giveaway closes I'll show you the inside of the back cover. So funny.